Open Wounds
by Amaylee
Summary: Koda is hardly the mysterious new boy in school. He's a little shy, but he can bring out a cocky, comical confidence that Hikaru is just enthralled with. Here's the hitch... there's a serious language barrier between the two. Hikaru grows more and more jealous as everyone else befriends him easily. But there's something up with Koda... Hikaru is determined to open him up.
1. Chapter 1

_Amelie here, guys. I promise my other Ouran fic is still ongoing, but I've hit a slight wall and consequently become very, very distracted. Distracted by this guy, actually! It's a younger more canon fic which is HikaxOC central. I know... I know, the absolutely cliched "oh look there's a new kid in school and s/he's making friends with the host club!" But tough titties, roll with it! _

_There won't be any lemon in this but there will be violence and bad language. I'll keep it at a T for now but if I go beyond certain lines, please warn me to stop or bump it up to M. _

_I haven't played with OCs in a whiiiile now but I absolutely love Koda! I know the Bellamy surname is cliche, but I can spell it and most people can pronounce it, so hey ho. Plus, it's cute. Koda is just a name I like. Actually nicked from Baka and Test's Kouta. Just because I really like the sound, and I feel it fits is spunky assed personality. _

_So give it a shot! My personal mission with this fic is to play with the OC and really develop his character and the relationships around him. I_ _know which relationships I want, but getting them there is going to be my issue. Bare with me, and leave me any criticisms you like. _

_Does anyone actually read Author's Notes? Ah well..._

_Lots of love, Amelie xxx _

Koda Bellamy sat uncomfortably at the single, wooden desk in the plush classroom. Sat in the centre of the room, behind a flamboyant blonde girl, he felt like a freak show. His hair appeared black until a ray of morning sunlight slipped in through the large window and highlighted the purple tinge. His complexion betrayed his Japanese heritage, but the rest of him was definitely out of place. He was tall, with a long, lanky frame. He appeared scrawny under the school uniform, but was actually well built and muscular. His piercing green eyes were mesmerising.

Not that Hikaru Hiatchiin was paying any attention. He hastily darted his eyes away for what must have been the tenth time since he'd sat in his seat, a few rows behind and to the right of Koda. From here, he couldn't make out the new students facial features, but he'd caught a glance as he'd walked past. He had a strong chin and high cheekbones. He'd given a smile from the corner of his mouth when Haruhi had politely greeted him.

Damn, he was staring again.

That made a dozen times and they hadn't even taken attendance yet. He wondered what his name was...

"Bellamy Koda?" Sensei called, right at the top of the alphabetical list.

The boy raised his hand and smiled awkwardly at the looks he was given. Sensei gave the usual spiel of how Koda was new here, and they should all make him feel welcome. Bellamy was French, right? After attendance was taken, Koda was asked to introduce himself. He made his way to the front of the class and Hikaru was stunned by how tall he was. He could give Mori-senpai a run for his money. His demeanour changed instantly when he was put on the spot. He stood in a casual pose and flashed a perfect smile around the room. Feigning embarrassment, he took out a sheet of paper and read from it.

"I am Koda. I am sixteen. I am from England."

The speech was obviously struggled. Using the light from the window, Hikaru could see that the words on Koda's page had been written in the English alphabet, rather than in kanji. He didn't know Japanese, huh? Hikaru could sympathise. He'd taken both English and French classes since primary school but could still hardly form a sentence in either language. Even with tutoring from Renge and Tamaki, he was still failing miserably.

He sat down again and fell back into the quiet, awkward position he held, crammed into the small chair. Class began without any more fuss. European history was a subject most students in the top class found easy, but Koda appeared to be having considerable trouble with the text they were given to read through.

And Hikaru was paying far too much attention. What was wrong with him? He blushed when Koda looked around and hoped he hadn't been caught. A laugh came from his left and he looked past Haruhi to see Kaoru covering his face. Well, at least someone had caught him. He would have hell to pay when they got home and Kaoru could corner him.

Not that he minded when Kaoru cornered him.

His mind delved into the gutter and he flashed Kaoru a dirty grin. Now it was the younger twin's turn to blush. As morning lessons came to a close, both twins gave Haruhi a squeeze on the shoulders and left for the canteen. As usual, Haruhi stayed to eat her boxed lunch in the classroom alone.

Only today, someone else had stayed behind with a boxed lunch.

Haruhi smiled up at Koda as he realised he wasn't alone in the room when he walked past her to get a drink from the fountain at the back of the room. He quickly flipped the chair in front of her around and sat at the other side of the desk.

"Hello," he said, confident he'd at least mastered that portion of Japanese.

"Hi," she said back. "Are you enjoying Japan?"

"Uh..." he answered slowly, making sense of the language, "yes, thank you."

"I speak some English," Haruhi said, switching to Koda's preferred tongue.

Her accent was oddly American and some of the intonation was off, but Koda could put up with that.

"Oh that's great!" he replied enthusiastically. "I've not understood a thing all day!"

"Maybe I can help you with that?" she offered.

Koda glanced down at the much smaller boy. There had to be nearly two feet in height difference, but right now he felt tiny.

"I'd appreciate that. What's your name?"

"Fujioka Haruhi. Just call me Haruhi."

"Just call me Koda. I don't really understand all the endings the Japanese put on names."

"It does get a little complicated, but it's just for formality. We're classmates, so it's kind of unnecessary. I could help you after school. I go to a club, but we always have some free time. The Hitchiin twins and Renge go as well."

The Hitachiin twins... Koda had caught one of them looking at him earlier in the day. No real surprise there. New students were always the focus of curiosity. Haruhi seemed friendly and caring, so he decided to accept his offer. Making friends would be a good start to settling in here, even if he didn't really plan to stay for long.

"So are you half English and half Japanese?" Haruhi asked.

Koda shook his head. "My mum is English, but my dad is half French and half Japanese."

"I have a friend who's half French and half Japanese. Renge, who sits in front of you, is French too. She only came to this school recently."

"Her Japanese seems perfect."

"I think she learned it as a child."

"And your English is brilliant," he complimented, smiling.

"Thanks. English lessons are pretty intense here."

Koda was hardly surprised. Ouran Academy was a school for the offspring of the elite. Families who handled some of the biggest companies in Japan sent their children here. Most would be expected to take over the company and deal with international businesses, so it was important for them to be bilingual. English was spoken almost universally among the upper classes.

"Do you speak French as well?" Haruhi continued the conversation.

"Sure do," Koda said, in French. Just for good measure.

"I'm sure you'll pick up Japanese soon enough. I'm kind of surprised your parents didn't teach you."

Koda shrugged, "Well, my dad tried when I was a kid, and I could sort of grasp speaking it ok. But the kanji... when he moved back to Japan I never continued with it. The writing just threw me way off, and my mum didn't care."

Haruhi didn't question the subject further, but assumed his parents must have split up when he was younger. She wondered why he was all of a sudden living in Japan, assumingly with his dad. Had something happened to his mother?

"Actually... I'm supposed to meet someone after school," Koda looked away, sort of embarrassed. "The son of my dad's boss. Sorry, I know I accepted your offer but could we do it tomorrow instead?"

"Sure. No problem. I have club every day, and I'm sure the other guys won't mind helping you out either."

"That's really kind of you. Would you mind showing me the way to the... hang on," he took a note out of his pocket and read it, "the third music room after school?"

"That's where I'm going. It's where we have club. Who are you meeting?"

"Kyoya Ootori. I think he's in second year."

Haruhi smiled, "Yeah... I know him."

The bell rang and students began re-entering the classroom. The Hitachiin twins came up either side of Haruhi and spoke to him in Japanese. Koda didn't understand the conversation, but he was a little taken aback when one twin placed some disposable chopsticks loaded with sushi to his lips and he gladly accepted. The other twin was behind the small brunette, rubbing his shoulders. He was used to displays of affection in France but he thought in Japan, this kind of bromance only happened in anime.

"I'm Kaoru," the twin behind Haruhi said, holding out his hand to shake.

"I'm Hikaru," the other one said, also offering his hand.

Not that it made much difference to Koda. They were absolute mirrors of each other.

"Koda doesn't speak much Japanese," Haruhi told them. "So try and use English."

Koda found it ironic that he actually understood that little bit of Japanese. Hikaru pouted.

Afternoon lessons began with mathematics and Koda was glad to not have to read kanji, but he didn't really care for maths as a subject. He answered the questions lazily. The final lesson was English and he had to hide his elation. Other students groaned, starting at the back of the book rather than the front, and had out dictionaries and sheets of translations. They were reading Pride and Prejudice and though not a book Koda had particularly enjoyed when he'd touched on it in his old school, the lesson was familiar which made him feel a bit better about doing so poorly this morning.

When class ended, Koda turned to catch Haruhi's attention, hoping he hadn't forgotten about taking him to find Kyoya. However, he found the seat empty and cast his eyes around the room. They landed on the desk of one of the twins. Haruhi was crouched next to him, pointing at the final paragraph of his work and he was scribbling kanji down on another sheet, obviously struggling. Koda could totally sympathise and gave a smile.

Hikaru finally packed up his things and linked arms with Kaoru, making a pit stop before they went to club. Haruhi was finally able to gather her own equipment and met Koda at her desk.

"He struggles with English?" Koda asked, gesturing to Hikaru's desk.

Haruhi nodded, "I guess he's like you. He'd be more interested in learning to speak it if he could understand the alphabet."

"Makes it doubly complicated, I suppose. Anyway, should we go?"

Haruhi led the way from their classroom and through the maze of hallways to the third music room.

"I should probably warn you... they can be pretty eccentric." Haruhi said before pushing the door open.

She was immediately swept into the arms of a tall blonde male.

"Where has daddy's little princess been?! I've been so worried! You should have been here ten minutes ago! I felt for sure you'd been snatched away by those shady twins!" he rubbed his face into the top of her head and kept his arms tightly around her shoulders as he babbled the Japanese, leaving Koda completely befuddled.

Suddenly, the blonde's head whipped back to the door and glared at the newcomer.

"Who is this guy?! Has he been following you?! Daddy must teach him a lesson!" his sleeves were pushed up to his elbows and he marched towards Koda.

"That's enough now," a voice from the corner was heard. "This is Master Bellamy. He's in the same class as Haruhi, I'm sure she was just escorting him here. Haruhi, I think Tamaki needs to be taken to his corner of woe right about now, could you do the honours?"

Now maybe Koda was confusing his Japanese, again, but he was pretty sure he'd nailed "he" and "she" and this chap with the glasses just called Haruhi a "she". He took another look at Haruhi as he tugged the blonde to a dark corner where he slumped against the wall. He did have a pretty face... maybe it was some sort of inside joke? Hey wait... was that guy growing mushrooms?

"You Ootori?" Koda asked in Japanese.

"That is correct. We can use English, if you prefer. Suoh Tamaki over there," he pointed at the weirdo in the corner, whom Haruhi was patting on the head, "isn't quite as fluent with English but French is his first language, if it helps."

Koda nodded appreciatively.

"I'm sure you want to get home. I know meeting after school must be inconvenient for you, but my father asked me to acquaint myself with you, should you need any assistance whilst you settle in."

Kyoya's English was very formal and obviously well practiced. He didn't have the same funny accent as Haruhi and he didn't fumble for the words as much. Haruhi rejoined them, and was smiling... differently than he had been before. Koda glanced at Tamaki and raised his eyebrows, causing Haruhi to blush. Kyoya also gave a knowing smile. Koda suspected he'd be seeing that smile a lot.

"I told Koda I'd help him translate some of his work. Do I have any free time?" Haruhi asked Kyoya, Koda only caught his name.

"Of course, Haruhi. You're slowly paying off your debt but don't think you're so popular that you're all booked up."

Haruhi narrowed her eyebrows at the snarky comment but knew better than to confront him about it.

She led Koda to a small circular table and he unloaded his notes from history and chemistry from this morning; she also got out hers. They slowly began to translate and explain the texts with her broken English and his crippled Japanese, they made it through a couple of pages.

Tamaki sidled up to Kyoya and linked his arm; Kyoya tried not to flinch away.

"She never studies with me like that," he whined.

"As if either of you need help with studying. She helps the twins all the time. She's really a rather good tutor," Kyoya smiled.

Tamaki took an arrow to the heart.

"I don't like him. Look at his hair... his uniform's all scruffy, he's too tall... what if he drags Haruhi into a bad crowd?! We have to protect her!"

"Oh please. He's been in the country for a week. Haruhi's his only crowd so far. And you know how she feels about judging based on appearances. Besides, I like his hair."

"Kyoya! Who's side are you on? We have to take care of our little girl."

"Be careful what you say, Tamaki. He might struggle to form sentences in Japanese but I'm sure he understands certain words. Unless you want him finding out Haruhi's real gender, I suggest you stop screaming that she's your "little girl"."

Tamaki fell back into his mushroom corner.

Kyoya briefly introduced Koda to Hani and Mori before allowing him to continue studying with Haruhi. Guests began arriving and Kyoya was glad to have Tamaki otherwise occupied. Koda tried to keep his eyes on his work but couldn't help gazing around the room.

The little third year was laying in one girl's lap while another fed him strawberries. His tall companion smiled silently at a girl across from him. The twins from his class were curled around each other to the squeals of several young ladies at their table and Tamaki had a whole crowd of girls whom he carefully shared out tender affections to.

"What kind of club _is_ this?" he eventually asked Haruhi, in English.

Haruhi couldn't remember the English word for "host", and wasn't even sure it held the same meaning, so explained, "Girls come here to get fawned on by guys. I don't see the appeal myself, but the attention isn't bad..."

"How is that even allowed?"

"There's no harm in it," Kyoya stepped in, "they get to act out their wildest dreams without fear of judgement or rejection. Physical contact is limited so no one gets hurt. Everyone knows it's just a fantasy. "

Koda blinked. What a weird concept. He'd read about them in manga he probably shouldn't admit to owning. Host clubs, they were called. The throng of customers began to pack up and leave at around 4:30, but after school club hours didn't finish until 5. The other hosts gathered around a large table and Haruhi was instantly summoned by a click of Kyoya's fingers.

"I'm busy," she protested.

"You're not that busy," he replied, monotonously.

Hikaru and Kaoru shoved her into a chair between them.

"We wanted to take a trip to the beach to commemorate the end of Summer, with the girls of course," Tamaki told her, passing a pamphlet across the table.

"What? Camping! I don't really think the girls will go for that..."

"Camping isn't for the girls, silly," Hani told her.

"The guests can join us on the beach on Saturday, but Sunday will be just for us. Masculine bonding," Kyoya added.

"Masculine. Right," Haruhi gave the group a look.

"There'll be plenty of food," Mori said flatly.

Haruhi cracked a smile.

"It's an eight-man tent. Maybe we should bring Renge?" Kaoru said

Everyone stared at him. That would be a no.

"What about Koda?" Hikaru added tentatively.

"Hmm... I suppose it would be a fun introduction for him. We can all be his friends and help him settle in."

"I heard my name?" Koda bounced over.

Kyoya explained the proposal in English. Everyone followed along easily enough with the quick-fire questions they shot each other, establishing the details. All that is except Hikaru. He sat, mind blown as almost every word evaded his knowledge. He scowled impatiently but held his tongue.

"Haruhi, it's raining. I'll drive you home," Kyoya caught her arm and told her as the meeting finished.

"I can take her...him!" Tamaki jumped.

"I'm taking Koda home anyway. He lives in the same neighbourhood as Haruhi."

"Really?" Haruhi and Tamaki said together.

"I heard my name again," Koda said.

"I'm going to teach you to say that in Japanese," Haruhi teased.

She ducked under Kyoya's arm as he held the door for her. Mockingly, Koda copied her action and even earned a light smile from Kyoya from the comical sight. Koda wasn't quite as tall as Mori, maybe reaching his eye line, but he still appeared much taller. Mori was big, he was well filled out with muscle and had a large, imposing presence. Koda on the other hand was very narrow and slim, making him look unstable and even taller and lither than he actually was.

They chatted in English on the ride to Haruhi's and she learned that Koda's father worked for the Ootori group as a paediatric heart surgeon. It was a well paid job they had a medium sized house in Haruhi's neighbourhood. However, he was a frugal man and preferred to spend his money on Koda's education and meaningful investments rather than material goods.

The clouds outside were darkening and as they pulled up to her apartment complex, Kyoya whispered to Haruhi in Japanese.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"I'll be fine," Haruhi shrugged off his concern.

All of the boys had become considerably more protective of her since Tamaki announced her fear of storms in Karuizawa. She didn't mind it, in fact it was quite cute and gave her a warm feeling of comfort, but thunder wasn't forecast and she really didn't need Kyoya hanging around her home for hours just for the possibility.

Koda observed the light smile they shared as Haruhi got out of the car. They pulled away as she opened her front door and she turned to give a quick wave, despite the glass being tinted, Kyoya waved back as they drove down the road.

"Your friends are nice," Koda told the older occupant of the limo.

"Sometimes they can be idiots, but they mean well," Kyoya replied.

"Haruhi doesn't seem like an idiot."

"Oh you'd be surprised just what goes over that little head," Kyoya said affectionately.

Koda thought the tone of his voice was rather odd, but put it down to accent.

Once he arrived at his own home, he shot Kyoya a wave and headed into the modest house. It had three bedrooms, with his being the second largest. His father took the master, with its own bathroom, and the smallest was used as an office. Downstairs was a dining kitchen, a fair sized living room and a cloakroom suite by the front door. The furniture was modern and the decor was an odd mix of modern and traditional Japanese. Even his own room seemed out of place but... he hadn't had the chance to add a personal touch yet.

He quickly changed into black jeans and a loose, red t-shirt. He flopped onto his bed, depressed about the rain. He'd really wanted to get out on his board before his father got home. Considering the house was still empty, he blared heavy rock music loudly from his laptop as he searched his usual websites.

It was the first time since moving here that he felt like a normal teen.


	2. Chapter 2

The feeling of normality came to a sudden end as a swift sting of leather crashed into his back.

"Turn that shit off!" a boom demanded.

"Sorry, sir," Koda quickly muted the music.

His great day descended into another of the hellish evenings he'd tried to forget about from his childhood.

Some things just never changed.

_The following morning-_

Koda wasn't offered a ride to school. He didn't know if his dad had even come home after he stormed out around midnight. Not that he minded, at least he wouldn't have to see him. He pack his school blazer and trousers and wore yesterdays jeans and a hoodie over his school shirt. Taking his skateboard and helmet, he headed out and rolled easily in the direction of school.

He instantly noticed the change in the quality of the tarmac as he entered the school grounds. His board glided effortlessly and he quickly picked up speed. As the driveway got more crowded he dismounted and wedged his board between the straps of his backpack. He had to run up to the bathroom to change... would the Host Club mind if he stored his board and clothes in their room? Hopefully he'd run into one of them on the way.

As it happened, he walked into the third floor bathroom just as Tamaki Suoh was walking out. The blonde bumbled a greeting and tried to sidle out of the doorway, unwilling to have to face the youth alone just yet. However, Koda had him trapped and he had a serious grin on his face.

Tamaki feared for his life.

"What are you going to do to me?" he squeaked in French, pressing his back into the door.

Koda leaned in to his ear and licked his lips, sensing the other boy's fear.

"Actually I was going to ask if I could store my things in the club room."

He said the harmless words with a smile and backed away from Suoh, awaiting the reply. Shock and realisation coursed through Tamaki's expression. Koda had been having him on! Well... he supposed that's what he got for being so pathetically fearful of the foreign first year. He sighed in relief and put on his natural smile, chuckling slightly.

"Sure. You can change there too. Right this way, I have the key."

Tamaki waited outside the prep room while Koda quickly changed. Once he left, Tamaki clapped his hand on the taller student's shoulder. Koda was thankful he wasn't very forceful. He'd had to relocate that shoulder before he went to sleep.

"I'm sorry I acted the way I did. It was wrong. Please forgive me."

Koda shrugged, "No worries. I know I'm not all that conventional."

They walked to Koda's classroom in comfortable silence. He noticed the cute wave Haruhi gave Tamaki from her desk and his blush as he waved back. So what was going on there, huh? Smiling to himself, he sat down and was greeted in English by Haruhi and the twin to her left. Assuming that they didn't switch seats, it was Kaoru. Hikaru simply nodded at him.

Koda couldn't help but be a little pissed. He could understand a "hi" in Japanese if Hikaru was so flummoxed with English. Maybe it wasn't even that... maybe he just didn't like him. He glanced at Hikaru throughout the morning lessons. Every time he did, the red head quickly looked away, like he was pretending he wasn't looking. Hopefully he would get chance to at least exchange words with him after school. But judging by his complete lack of concentration, he would really need to buckle down with translating later.

Over lunch, he again sat with Haruhi and they got a little head start translating. He was quickly picking up certain words. Haruhi had the cutest, almost girly laugh when Koda made light jokes. Koda knew Haruhi must be very, very bright. He'd learned yesterday he was here on a scholarship. He knew his own father was on a tight budget, paying for this school, and Haruhi lived even more modestly without this humongous cost. He was very dedicated and Koda appreciated the help.

"If this is too much trouble, Kyoya's offered to help me translate some things too," he told his peer kindly.

"I don't mind at all. I get to go back over my notes and relearn it, and teaching it helps me understand it more too. Plus, I've never really had the chance to speak so much English, and I know I'm not as fluent as Kyoya, but it's really helping me too."

Koda smiled and they continued. They exchanged small bits of food. Koda discovered cold omelettes were disgusting, and Haruhi could absolutely not understand eating yoghurt out of a tube.

"You came in with Tamaki-senpai this morning," Haruhi said, prompting a turn in the conversation.

"I ran into him upstairs and asked a favour. He's an odd one,"

Haruhi smiled, "He's certainly unique."

"You like him?" he asked, prodding.

"Of course I like him. He's my friend."

Koda rolled his eyes and smiled but Haruhi had a blank expression. He remembered Kyoya's words,

"You'd be surprised what goes over that little head". Yup. Haruhi was entirely oblivious to the attraction their senior so obviously held for him.

That day, Hikaru and Kaoru made it to music room three before Koda and Haruhi. They had stopped by the dojo to wish Mori good luck in that afternoon's in-house tournament. For some reason, Hani wasn't allowed to compete... and no one would tell Koda why. They entered the room right as Hikaru slipped off Koda's skateboard and fell on his ass.

The hosts awaited their new friend's reaction to the idiot twins medalling with his things. Tamaki had tried his best to stop them and was no furiously red faced. Koda stalked over to Hikaru, who was still sat on the floor with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Is it ok to do this in the room?" Koda asked Kyoya in English, looming over an increasingly terrified Hikaru.

"The floor's had plenty worse things done to it," Kyoya replied, shooting a smirk at Tamaki.

"Cool," Koda stooped closer to Hikaru with a stony face. When Hikaru looked up at him, the expression became soft and he offered his hand to tug him up.

Hikaru kept his eyes on Koda as he allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. It was his first time getting a detailed look of him up close and he couldn't quite bring himself to look away. He wasn't quite in the same league as the hosts were for his appearance, but he was definitely above average. His features were still rather soft, lacking the angular features that would be considered attractive in an older man. But he was cute. He'd be even cuter if his hair wasn't such a ridiculous colour. He'd look good as a dark blonde, Hikaru decided.

Koda flipped the board over and encouraged Hikaru back onto it with a smile and wave of his hand. The exchange was relatively silent as he held Hikaru's shoulders and rolled him a few feet, shifting him this way and that to show him how to turn. After making a circle, Kaoru stepped up.

"Can I have a turn too?" he asked.

Koda still held Hikaru's shoulders as they came to a stop. They shared a brief, awkward look and Hikaru stepped off. Koda made a similar loop with Kaoru, only this time explaining what to do in as simple terms as possible. Kaoru still managed to almost fall off and Hikaru came running to hold onto his twin.

"It's dangerous, Kao!" Hikaru said, clutching him.

"I'm fine. You fell off too."

"Yeah but you... you... ugh," Hikaru couldn't speak, instead nuzzling into Kaoru's neck.

Kaoru smiled and squeezed his brother back, and then began prizing him away ever so gently.

Koda didn't understand what they were saying, but he couldn't help but be astounded at Hikaru's care for his twin. He smiled a little, reaching out to pat Kaoru on the shoulder, but Kyoya interrupted them with calls to take their stations. Kaoru grinned at him and he shared another awkward glance with Hikaru. Once again he joined Haruhi at her table and they began working.

"Haruhi, you have a guest," Kyoya said, approaching them with a regular second year customer of Haruhi's.

"Should I move?" Koda hurriedly asked in English.

"No need," Kyoya smiled. It was a suspicious smile.

"Princess Eriko, this is Bellamy Koda. He's new in my class, from England. He speaks very little Japanese but I'm helping him learn," Haruhi gave the introduction.

"English is such a beautiful language! I would love to learn more," she switched to English and addressed Koda. "Hello Bellamy-san, I am Tetsuya Eriko. It's very nice to meet you."

Her English was hesitant but Koda appreciated the effort, "Please call me Koda," he smiled, and then repeated the request in Japanese, earning a nod from Haruhi.

He had a cheeky grin that made Eriko flutter. Kyoya was hastily writing down his observations. Tamaki too was watching, peeking over the back of the sofa. Eriko giggled and Tamaki shot over to the table.

"What about French?" Tamaki started in Japanese. "The language of love," he finished in French, cupping her cheek.

Koda had quickly caught onto the false romance the hosts spurted and made his own move.

"No language could be as beautiful as your eyes," he whispered in French, leaning in to Eriko on her other side.

"And your beautiful eyes cannot compare to your beautiful smile," Tamaki continued.

Eriko didn't know what to do with herself. She flushed bright red and squealed with her hands up at her face. A gaggle of girls had gathered around them, all eager to witness the romantic attempts of the two part-French boys.

"I didn't think she'd be into that sort of thing," Haruhi said, stood between Renge and Kyoya. She had escaped the throng before it got too intense.

"Jealous, Haruhi?" Kyoya teased with a sly smile.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"But still, it's an interesting plot development... I wonder."

"I've got it!" Renge squealed, making their heads turn. "Koda! You should become our new host!"

She dramatically pointed at him and the crowd parted to allow her to look directly at him.

"No one fawns on her when she speaks French," Hikaru muttered.

"It's Renge... who'd fawn on her anyway?" Kaoru whispered back and the two began giggling quietly.

Tamaki recoiled as Renge swooped towards them.

"Isn't it obvious? He's a natural with the charm but his hair and skateboard make him seem risqué and unapproachable. He's the type that Ouran girls won't find anywhere else. He's the _bad boy_ type!"

"Renge, you're stereotyping again," Haruhi scolded.

"Besides, having dyed hair and a skateboard doesn't make him a _bad_ boy," Tamaki said, musing.

"I like his hair," Kyoya repeated, earning a look from Tamaki.

Koda just stared. They were all speaking French except Haruhi, who'd reverted to Japanese. Koda figured it was safe to ignore that comment seeing as everyone else did anyway.

"I... I don't know," Koda started in his natural English

"It couldn't hurt to give it a go," Kaoru smiled.

Hikaru could only stare as well. He didn't know what the conversation was about, but it had struck the previously bubbling Koda into silence. Just for a second, they caught each other's eye and Hikaru attempted a weak smile. He was sat slightly away from the group and felt pretty left out. He wanted so desperately to take Kaoru's hand or pull Haruhi to his side, but he was afraid of both of them scolding him for being selfish and commanding their attention. After all, even he could admit it wasn't Koda's fault they had a language barrier. He'd only been in the country a week!

Ever observant Haruhi immediately understood Hikaru's feelings and quickly explained the situation. Hikaru's expression brightened considerably. If Koda was a host, they could spend more time together! Gah! What was he thinking? It was no big deal, surely? He was very confused and he couldn't figure out why.

"Maybe I'll decide after this weekend?" Koda suggested, trying to ease the excitement.

"Probably wise," Kyoya agreed. "We'd never want to force you to join."

"Oh, really?" Haruhi hissed but was silenced with an evil smile.

The group eventually dispersed and everyone went back to their stations. Haruhi had gathered another couple of guests and was happy to share her time with them. To avoid crowding, Koda had slipped away and wound up at Hikaru and Kaoru's empty table where they were all doing math homework. Hikaru was finished before them and began helping Kaoru. Or at least tried to.

"You're the worst tutor, Hika," Kaoru moaned, gathering up his book. "Hey, Kyoya, can you explain this?"

He headed over the older host and Hikaru leaned against the back of the sofa, exasperated. His eyes slid over to Koda who was sat opposite him. Despite his usual mathematical prowess, Koda just couldn't handle anything to do with circles and had repeatedly crossed out his workings of one particularly tough question and was now rubbing his forehead.

"I help?" Hikaru said tentatively, using the little English he knew.

Koda looked up and smiled, "Sure, thank you."

Hikaru did a little skip over the low coffee table and sat next to Koda. Maybe he shouldn't have sat quite so close – their elbows were brushing.

Thankfully, they each knew enough numbers in the other's native tongue to get the problem done. Across the room, Haruhi and Tamaki shared a look.

"You don't think..."Tamaki started.

Haruhi shrugged and shook her head, "It's not our business."

He lightly stroked her hair as she sat back from pouring another round of tea for both her and Tamaki's guests. There was a resonating "awww" and he blushed, pulling his hand away.

When Koda arrived home that evening, after walking with Haruhi, he made the wise decision to only listen to his music on low, through one ear-bud. He even left his bedroom door open and positioned himself in the bean bag, in sight of the doorway, reading his kanji textbook. All in all, he was doing all he could to avoid irritating his father. Apparently, it had worked.

"So have you made any friends at school yet?" his father asked, casually leaning in the doorframe when he returned home.

"There's this one guy in my class who's been helping me translate the work, and I've helped him with English. There's twins in our class who are all right, too. They're in an after school club together, and Kyoya Ootori is in it too, along with a few other guys," Koda replied, being as honest as possible.

"How is your Japanese coming along?"

"It's improving. I can pick out words in conversation... but they all talk so fast. Most of them speak some English or French, so someone always translates. One of the twins, Hikaru, is a bit hopeless with it though, but he helped me with math today."

The conversation was going well. Father was apparently in a good mood.

"Actually, Dad," Koda started, nervously, "they've invited me away camping this weekend. It's a club thing, so it's free. Please can I go?"

"Are there any girls going?" his mood became serious.

"I think they're inviting some to the beach on Saturday... just their other friends, but overnight it's just guys. I think they wanted to do some masculine bonding stuff..." he trailed off, regretting his phrasing.

"_Bonding_?!"

"Like..." he thought quickly, "building a fire, navigating, that kind of thing."

"You remember why you were sent here?"

"Of course."

They parted with a curt nod from Koda's father which Koda assumed granted him permission. He also hoped his subtle mention of going to the beach would have him lay off for a while... he'd rather like to go swimming without awkward questions.


End file.
